Casing for safety switches



sept. 25, 192s.

E. G. JOHANSSON CASING FOR SAFETY SWITCHES Filed May 14, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VNToR.

' ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 25, 1928.

- 1,685,490 E. G, JOHANSSON cAsING FOR SAFETY SWITCHES Filed May 14, l`925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

l lpermanentlv Securedto the casing Patented sept. 25,1928.`

UNITEDSTATES l1 .1 f1,rE'Nr' OFFICE ',JiBNEsTG. JoHANssoN, or BosToN, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNon, BY Masiva' assreN- meurs, TOTHE IALMEB ELECTRIC @c MANUFACTURING C0., OF WALTHAM, MASSA*- CKHUSETTS, CORPORATION' OIF4 MASSACHUSETTS.

CASING yron ASAFETY sWITc'Hnsi nppnemyn ined nay 14,

f f My invention relates .to easings for safety switches and has for its object yto provide a casing having an adapter ermanently v securedto the body thereof,`w ich in one posi- 5 'tion `adapts the casingtothe terminal 'cham- 'ber of a meterand in the other'y position produce?l a closed'endcas'ing.'

' Myinvention further `has for" its object to produce a easing having an adater plate ody by a swiveled hinge. v l

The following isa description of an embodimentof myinvention, 'reference being yhad to the accompanying drawings', invvhich,

Fig. 1 showsiin conjunction vith yan'elec- "tric meter, a front'elevation of a casing em'- bodying my invention;V4 I n l Fig.l 2y Shows a plan view ofthe same rWith the meter removedfandparts brokenv away;

2,0 Fig.l 3 is adetail'on the vline 3-3,`1F ig. 2;

` Fig; 4; is a detail onA the line 4v4,lFig`. 9 l Fig. y5y is` a detail section on the line 5-5,

y y 4 Fig,y 6 .is a section on' the line 'f6-6, Fig. 5; 7 is alperspe'ctive view of the 4upper end ofthe casing;y

L Fig. `8"fis a perspectiv eviev'v showing the adapter plate rbeing reversed inposition; and Fig, 9 is .a perspective' view kozf the upper endof .themeter after the adapted platevhas n been reversed andthe main cover applied so 'as to close the upperend' of the casing. f Referring ymore particularly to the drawings.,y 2 is the main cover of a switch'casing 35 having thereon an'auxiliary covery 4 and vmeans coactingfwith the switch ,actuating handle 6 Vforcontrolling access to a fuse She- Vneath the auxiliary cover. This auxiliary cover and associatedpartsdo not, however, form a "partfof the present invention. `The Amain cover 2 is providedat its upper end ,with a flange 10 partially yclosin, 1; the openingat `Ithe upperend of the (Rising body. Extendying part way beneath this flange isan adapter vplate l2 having the usual openingA` 14n and i a frame 16 k:for receivingffa portionwof the terminal chamberfof a. metery18-xf'lhis yadapter plate, in the construction shown, provided with a sloty 20. extending about halfway/along 'one side thereof and through this slot passes one leg of 'a `loop22,both`, legsv of 'which pass y through a Circular opening r21Min a flange 26. K projecting inwardly .ronithe ySdeQWall/YQS p f the easing, thus hinfgng the plate 12 tothe `Shown in Fig. 4.

' mitted by the slot 1926., `seran No. 1091131.

Side Wt-ll 28 Withra svviveled hingeiso as to permit it'to be raised and rlowered and when in the position shown in Fig. 8 turned on its longitudinal axis so that the cutaway portion 14 can be brought underneath the ilange l() yas shown 'in Fig, 9, or can be brought outside that ,flange as lshown 1n Fig. 2. The flange tothe cutaway portion 14, n

freely over the studBQ. y.

B() of the casing is provided With a stud 32 that in doing so it forces the stud 32 slightly to the left, ,the Wall ofthe casing yielding Lto permit such movement, and snaps into the the head of the stud .as This holds thatfend of the undercut beneath plate in posi ion when the meter is removed and the adapter istu'rned so as to perform its end closing function. K i In practice when a meter is being installed the main cover 1s removed from the casing body 38 andthethe right so as to be outiof the Way of the meter to be installed, the casing body 38 beingsecured to the Wall in propery position.

The meter is then secured in proper position adapter issvvung overtoward L and 4connected up, and the adapter is then swung to the left, being drawn out as per- 2O soas to escape the terminal chamber in the meter and being subsevq iientlvnioved inivard to the position shown in Fig. 2.

to the' casing body and sealed in position in the ordinary lWay, acting to hold the adapter plate in position.

` YVhen the meter isv removed and it is desired to seal the casing, the main cover Eis opened and the'adapter plate 12 lifted to the 4position shown inr 8 andturned on its longitudinal axis and thenbrought down to the positiony indicated in Fig. 9, thehole 36 passing over the head oi the stud 32 and the edge of the hole snapping into the recess be,- neath said head. The main coverl 2 is then applied, the flange 10 covering the cutaway portion 14 of theadapter, andthe side flanges The main coverQ is then applied o the main cover preventing ,the` sidewalls of the easing body from being movedso as te release the stud 32 from the adapter in its closing position. If it is desired to release the adapter from closing position the main cover 2 is again removed and the sidewalls of the casing body sprung sufiiciently to cause the stud 32 to release the corresponding end of the adapter plate.

ln this way a casing having an adapter which is permanently secured to the body o the casing is provided, the Construction being such that the adapter can be moved so as to be entirely out of the way of the mechanic when installing or removing a meter and be positioned so that the end of the casing is closed.

I do not claim herein broadly the combination with a switch casing of a meter adapter plate which may be associated with the casing in one manner to cooperate with a meter and in another manner to complete the closure of the casing when no meter is present, this subject matter being claimed in the joint application for patent of Granville E. Palmer and ,myself` Serial No. 615,320, tiled January 27, 1923, for switch casing and meter adapter.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits of various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

lVhatI claim is j l. The combination of a casing body open at one end, a meter adapter plate for said end, means permanently securing said plate to said body and permitting its reversal about a longitudinal axis and its movement about an axis at right angles to Said longitudinal axis. and a main cover for said body portion having a flange overlapping a portion of said plate, said plate having on one side of its longitudinal axis a meter adapting opening which when in one position is closed by said iiange and on kthe other side of said axis a solid portion which when said opening is so closed completes the closure of the casing, said plate having an elongated slot coacting with Isaid securing means so as to permit said plate to be moved transversely to said axis.

2. The combination of a casing body open at one end, a meter adapter plate for said cnd, a swiveled hinge securing said plate to said bodyY and permitting its reversal aboutr its longitudinal axis and a main cover having a flange overlapping a portion of said plate, said plate having on one side of its longitudinal aXis a meter adapting opening which when in one position is closed by said flange and on the other side of said axis a solid portion which when said opening is so closed completes the closure of the casing, said plate having an elongated slot coacting with said swivelled hinge so as to permit said plate to be moved transversely of said axis.

3. The combination of a casing body having an open end provided with inwardly eX- tending side ianges, an adapted plate engaging said flanges and having a closed slot at one end, a member swiveled to one of said flanges and passing through said slot so as to hinge said plate to said flange, said plate being thereby secured to said casing and reversible about its longitudinal axis and movable relatively to said member in a direction parallel to said slot and being cut away on one side so asto form a meter adapter, and a cover adapted to be sealed to said body and provided with a flange overlying a portion of said plate and adapted to cover said cut-away portion when said plate is in one of its positions. y

4. The combination ofa casing body having an open end provided with inwardly extending side flanges, an adapter plate engaging said flanges and having a closed slot at one end, a member swiveled to one of said flanges and passing through said slot so as to hinge said plate to said flange, said plate being thereby secured to said casing and reversible about its longitudinal axis and movable relatively to said member in a direction parallel to said slot and being cut away on one side so as to form a meter adapter, and a cover adapted to be sealed to said body and provided with a flange overlying a portion of said plate and adapted to cover said cut-away portion when said plate is in one of its positions, said other flange having a projecting pin adjacent to its .rear end and said plate having two openings adjacent to and remote from -said cut-away portion respectively and adapted to receive said pin.

5. The combination of a casing body having an open end provided with inwardly extending side flanges. an adapter plate engaging said ilanges'and having a closed slot at one end, a member swiveled to one of said flanges and to hinge said plate to -said flange, said plate being thereby secured to said casing and reversible about its longitudinal axis and movable relatively to said member in a direction parallel to said slot and being cut away on one side so as to form a meter adapter, and a cover adapted to be sealed to said body and provided with a flange overlying a portion of said plate and adapted to cover said cut-away portion when of its positions, said other flange having a projecting pin adjacent to its inner end and said plate having two openings adjacent to and remote from said cut-away portion respectively and adapted to receive said pin, said pin having an undercut portion and the openingrremote from said cut-away portion having one edge adapted to extend into said undercut portion,

6. The combination of a casing body havingan open end providingan entrance to said casing, an adapter plate, a swivelled hinge permanently securing said adapter plate to one Wall, of said casingand permitting said passing through said slot so as ysaid plate is in .one

lill) yits longitudinal axis, said A one side of its longitudina plate to 'bei moved to entirely uncover the open endof said easing, said swivelled hinge rendering said adapter plate reversible about late having on axis a meter adapting openingwhieh when in one position is closed by said flange and on thev otherside v of saidA axis a Solid portion which when said opening is so closed completes the closure of the easing, said plate having an elongated 10 slot coacting with said swivelledhinge so as to permit said plate to be Vmovedtransversely of said axis.

Intestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 12th May, 1926.

, A ERNEST GQ JOHANSSON.

day of 15 

